Snow?
by SerenaRiis
Summary: Yami isn't sure about his place as of late - and Yuugi leaving him behind to go play in the... stuff... that's outside, isn't helping. No pairings, oneshot, and curious to see what people think. Please read and review! Thanks!


Title: **Snow?**

Disclaimer: I own nothing - just my own boredom and the various tidbits that arise from it.

****

Yami had never seen anything quite like it. He stood at Yuugi's window, leaning against the frame and staring out into the night at a streetlight down below. It wasn't the streetlight he was perplexed by; instead, it was the _stuff_ floating in the light that had caught his attention. It reminded him of rain, but it was much larger and floated like small feathers to the ground below, where it had been gathering for the last two hours.

The spirit had no idea what this was. He longed for Yuugi to wake up and explain it to him, but the fact that it was three in the morning might annoy his aibou. Yami had yet to go into the puzzle that night. He had been feeling particularly out of place lately, and wandering through the puzzle only increased that feeling. Unbeknownst to Yuugi, the spirit had stayed up the last few nights, usually pacing in the boy's room, until Yuugi woke to go to school. But tonight he had happened to glance outside, and the sight had completely distracted him.

A selfish part of him wondered how upset Yuugi would be if Yami took control of his body and went outside to inspect the floating flakes of… whatever it was called. This was one of the things that frustrated Yami the most about this event: he had no name for what he was seeing. He wondered what it would feel like to have the stuff land on him. Would it be similar to rain? Would it be wet? Would it stick to him as it did to the pavement and grassy areas? He sighed and looked at the clock again. 3:05 AM. It was simply taking far too long for morning to come.

As his attention veered back to the street, he noticed a man walking outside. What he was doing out at this hour, Yami had no idea, but he noticed that wherever the man stepped, a footprint would be left in the stuff that had fallen on the ground. It vaguely reminded him of leaving footprints in sand and caused the spirit to wonder why sand would be falling in Domino of all places. Certainly there were no deserts nearby for it to come from.

Yami shook his head – it couldn't be sand. But what on earth was it? He stood watching the stuff float through the air for some time, periodically checking the time to see if it was actually passing or not. He was beyond startled when at six in the morning the phone rang loudly in the dark room. He turned towards it and then looked expectantly at Yuugi's drowsy form that was stumbling across the room for his cell phone.

"Hello?" Yuugi yawned into the phone. Yami was fairly certain that the youth had yet to open his eyes. Suddenly though, his eyes shot open and he bounded right *through* Yami to the window and was peering down at the same streetlight that had captivated Yami's attention all night long.

"YES!!!" Yuugi practically shouted into the phone. "This is fantastic! Now I don't have to take that history exam until tomorrow!"

Yami had moved to the other side of the room after being walked through by his aibou. He hated the sensation that went with that particular occurrence. It always served as a sharp reminder that he was indeed a spirit – he could even be considered a ghost – and often evoked feelings of incongruity and a lack of belonging in this world. He shook his head in an effort to clear those thoughts before Yuugi heard him, and watched as his aibou jumped up and down excitedly while talking animatedly on the phone.

The spirit smiled and waited patiently for Yuugi to get off the phone. Maybe now he would be able to discover what the stuff was that he had been so curious about.

"Now? But it's just after six!" Yuugi said into the phone and then listened while nodding his head.

"Oh, you're right! That'll be perfect! She'll never see it coming!" Yuugi said, getting more and more excited.

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit. I'll get dressed and head over right now!" Yuugi exclaimed and then shut the phone and tossed it on his bed while rushing to get his day clothes out. Yami watched as the youth hurriedly put them on and searched for his gloves and hat.

"Now where are my hat and gloves? I swear I left them on my desk…" Yuugi said, mostly to himself, while searching through his desk. Yami looked around him and saw the items resting on the floor near the bed.

"I believe they're on the floor over here, Yuugi," Yami said quite casually.

Yuugi spun around and commented, "Oh, you're up already? I hope I didn't wake you – the snow always makes me so excited. I'm going over to meet Jou and Honda so we can attack Anzu before she hears of the news!"

Yami took in the information, particularly the word "snow," and was about to ask about it when Yuugi continued talking.

"Yami, is it okay with you if I leave the puzzle here today? I don't want it to get smashed accidentally in all the ruckus, and knowing Jou… Something insane will happen."

Although it stung him to be left behind like this, he quietly nodded his head to his aibou. He would never ask Yuugi to do something that the boy didn't want to do. In reality though, he longed to ask Yuugi if it would be alright for him to come along. A whole night of staring at something that he had no understanding of was driving him crazy.

"Okay – I'll be back soon! See ya later!" Yuugi shouted as he ran out the door of his bedroom. Yami watched him head out and then turned to see the puzzle glinting in the coming sunlight that was seeping through the window. Like the ghost he felt he was, Yami walked to the window and leaned against the frame again to watch Yuugi run off while more of the snow fell.

Snow. At least he knew now that it was called "snow." He only had a vague guess of what it was and had absolutely no idea why Yuugi was so excited about it. He pondered the snow and then Yuugi's absence for a while until he realized that it had been nearly two hours since Yuugi had left. Yami hoped that his aibou was just hanging out with his friends and not getting into any trouble. There would be nothing he could do about it today, not when Yuugi had left the puzzle – and thus, the spirit – behind.

As the hours passed, Yami grew more and more uneasy about being left behind. He knew that Yuugi's reason was valid. If the puzzle were to break, then Yami's existence would cease until Yuugi could re-complete it. What gave the spirit pause was that they had been on many adventures in which the puzzle could have broken before. Why would Yuugi only now leave him behind?

Continuing to get even more depressed about the situation, he checked the time and saw that it was nearing the afternoon. He hoped that Yuugi was having fun, wherever he was. A few minutes later Yami heard the front door open and loud footsteps echoing up the stairs. He almost jumped as the door flew open and Yuugi rushed in.

Yami turned and stared at the youth. It appeared that this snow did stick to people, for it was covering most of Yuugi's jacket and pants. Yuugi tossed his jacket on the floor and grabbed a different, much drier, jacket from the closet. He then proceeded to dash back out of the room and down the stairs.

The spirit tried very hard not to feel hurt that Yuugi had not even spared him a glance. Yami looked at the now dripping wet coat on the floor and considered going over to inspect it, but he suddenly found that he didn't really care about any of it anymore. He turned briefly to the window, sighing as the snow continued to fall, and then retreated to the puzzle.

Once inside the puzzle he proceeded to walk through the long and dark corridors, not paying a whit of attention to where he was going, until he was thoroughly lost. He figured that he would try to find a corner of the puzzle. He had tried before, but failed, despite the fact that he knew the maze of corridors and stairs had to end somewhere. At least this task gave him something to do other than dwelling on Yuugi's actions.

After what felt like hours of walking, he finally came to what appeared to be a dead end. Yami leaned against the wall in the corner and slid down to sit on the ground. He couldn't believe he'd found an edge to the puzzle. Usually it twisted and turned him around so much that he was constantly heading towards the middle. He scoffed at the fact that he could only find what he was looking for when he wasn't paying attention at all.

Despite the fact that he was in spirit form in the puzzle, he started to feel cold while leaning against the cool stone. The feeling of frost wrapping itself around his arms and legs crept over him, similar to how the chill from outside had transferred to him after he spent too much time staring into the night. He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head upon his knees. He had no idea what time it was, and he didn't care much, either. Slowly, Yami drifted off into a fitful sleep.

For a while, the spirit didn't dream. Then, almost as if he had been punched in the stomach, a dark feeling enveloped him. It was exactly the same as when he had been trapped in the puzzle for five millennia. Yami could feel the heaviness of those years seeping back into him, almost pulling him down and into the stone. It was as if his body was fading into the puzzle. Yami vaguely heard screams that surrounded him, piercing his thoughts while seeming to speed up the agony that was being put upon him.

It wasn't until he felt the fiery hot sensation of stinging rope being wrapped around his arms and pulling him down that he panicked enough to wake from the nightmare. To his dismay, he discovered that the nightmare wasn't quite fiction – his arms were being pulled down. The rope around them left large cuts as it sliced through his lower arms, and Yami struggled to become free of the painful cords. Yami gritted his teeth through the pain as his arm was cut badly while tearing free from the trap. He stood unsteadily and watched as the vine-like ropes slowly crept after him. Turning to run from the scene, he spared no glance back at where he had been resting.

He whipped through the corridors, trying desperately to find his way back to a place he recognized, when a sudden explosion of noise burst out in front of him. The spirit didn't have time to stop as a massive fissure opened up before him. He tried to grab onto the edge and managed to grab hold of a piece of flooring that was hanging on just barely.

Turning his attention to what was below him, Yami saw the same darkness from his dream swirling in the depths. He turned back upwards and noticed that the piece of floor that he was gripping was slowly being pulled from the more stable flooring. He swung a little bit and just as his other hand grabbed onto another piece of floor, the first had broken off and fallen below. Yami cringed as his scratched and bloody arms were pulled upon to keep him from falling. He felt weak and was starting to wonder if he would have the energy to pull himself out of this situation.

Almost whispering, the spirit begged, "Yuugi… please… don't leave me here…" Almost as if in a cruel response to his words, the floor opened up a bit more and he dropped down a foot farther into the darkness. Yami winced and tried to maintain his grip, but he couldn't. He screamed as he felt himself falling deeper and deeper until he landed painfully.

He lay, face down on the stone, out of breath and waiting for the darkness to fully consume him. It took Yami a long time to realize that there was no darkness gathering in around him. He turned his head to the right so that he could see the wall and was startled to find that it was just like any other wall in the puzzle.

_Have I not been trapped then? Was that a dream? _

He moved his arms and saw that there were no abrasions on them at all. After a moment of reflection, he laughed out loud at his own stupidity. Of course there would be no abrasions – he was a spirit. But still… the thought of going back to that entrapment still weighed heavily upon his heart. He rolled over so that he was on his back and stared at the ceiling. With a sigh, he wondered whether Yuugi had returned yet or not. He wondered whether the boy had felt any of what had just happened through their mind link. Was Yuugi worried for him? Was he rushing here to find him?

Yami didn't know. He could hardly sense Yuugi at all, and after being so abruptly ignored and shut out, he didn't feel the pull to see the boy just yet. He was loath to admit it, but he feared that Yuugi wouldn't _want_ to see him. Feeling quite dejected, the spirit sighed and decided to wait until Yuugi called him before doing anything else.

Meanwhile, Yuugi was returning from playing in the snow all day with his friends. Anzu had gone back to her house, claiming that she needed dry clothes and rest after being repeatedly attacked. Honda had also decided to go home, but Jou was still quite energetic, as was Yuugi. The two boys were walking back towards the game shop and talking about all the fun they had.

"I can't believe you nailed her in the face like that!" Jou exclaimed, laughing at the memory.

Yuugi smiled widely, recalling the luckiest snowball shot he'd ever made. Granted, it had given Anzu cause to endlessly barrage him with snowballs for the next hour, but it was worth it.

"Hey Yuugi, I was just thinking…" Jou started to say.

"What's up Jou?" Yuugi queried.

"You should let Yami out so he can see this! Has he ever even seen snow? I wonder what that would be like… a life without snow," Jou wondered aloud to his friend.

Yuugi started a bit – he had forgotten all about the spirit due to all the hectic fighting during the day. The puzzle was still in his room where he had left it, along with Yami. Yuugi suddenly felt horrible – he had promised Yami that he would be back soon, but that was over twelve hours ago. Jou noticed the worried look that had just flitted onto Yuugi's face.

"Yuugi?" Jou asked. The smaller boy glanced up at his friend. "What's wrong? You look really upset all of a sudden."

"I just remembered that I left the puzzle, along with Yami, in my room this morning. I didn't want the puzzle to get damaged in the snowball fight that I knew was coming. I promised him I'd be back in a short while, but that was early this morning. It's almost seven o'clock now!" Yuugi stated, getting more and more upset as he spoke.

"Woah, Yuugi, calm down buddy. I'm sure he'll be okay about it. It can't be that bad, can it?" Jou asked.

"I don't know. Lately he's seemed out of sorts. He hasn't been sleeping and he always sounds kind of depressed. Argh! And I just left him there like a jerk!" Yuugi shouted at himself.

Jou remained quiet for a moment and then said, "Should I let you go back then? So you can talk to him? I can go home and take a shower and warm up. It'd probably be a good idea since I doubt school will be cancelled tomorrow."

Yuugi sighed and thought about it. It wasn't like Jou could come into the puzzle with him, which was surely where the spirit would have retreated to by now. Yuugi nodded his head and said, "Yeah, maybe that's best. Thank you, Jou. I'll see you tomorrow morning!"

Jou waved at him and then walked off towards his apartment while Yuugi began to run back to the game shop. He got to the door and ran inside, hardly stopping to great his grandpa. He darted up the stairs and then paused before his door.

'_Hopefully Yami won't be too mad. I can't believe I forgot him. Well, here goes nothing!' _He thought as he opened the door.

He looked around the room and didn't see Yami anywhere, so Yuugi assumed that the spirit had indeed returned to the puzzle. Yuugi put the item around his neck and laid down on his bed, proceeding to retreat to his own soul room.

He walked towards the door, opened it and ventured over to Yami's rather intimidating door. Slowly, he opened it and walked in. Just as he was about to call out for the spirit, he felt a strange feeling pour over him. He suddenly felt thoroughly lost and exhausted and paused to lean against the nearest wall. _'Did that come from Yami?'_ Yuugi pondered, both surprised and scared that if it were coming from the spirit, than he must have really hurt him by leaving him here for so long.

Deciding to find the spirit without calling for him, Yuugi ventured towards where the feeling seemed stronger. He wandered down corridor after corridor, and with every step the sense of heaviness grew stronger and tried to slow him down. He was about to just call for Yami when he turned a corner and saw the spirit lying on the floor in the middle of the long corridor.

Yami looked as if he has fallen here long ago and had not moved since. Apprehensively, Yuugi walked towards him and knelt down beside the spirit quietly. He noticed that Yami's eyes were closed and wondered if the spirit were sleeping or not.

"Yami?" Yuugi asked quietly, resting a hand on the spirit's shoulder. He watched as Yami's eyes snapped open and then met Yuugi's. The expressions that crossed his face within the next three seconds were painful for Yuugi to watch. Sadness, hopefulness, shock, and worry were the ones that Yuugi could easily pick out.

"Yuugi?" Yami asked in such a low whisper that Yuugi could hardly hear him. "What are you doing here?"

That question hurt Yuugi, since it was obvious that the spirit had not expected Yuugi to come find him. Nevertheless, Yuugi answered honestly, "I came to… I wanted… Yami I'm so sorry!" Yuugi ended, falling upon the spirit's chest and beginning to cry. Yami reacted quickly, sitting up and holding Yuugi close.

"Yuugi… What on earth for?" Yami asked.

"I left you here… And I said I'd be back soon, but I completely forgot you! How could I forget you?" Yuugi said into Yami's shoulder. Yami shook his head quietly. He didn't know what to say. It had hurt considerably to be left behind, but it was obvious that Yuugi hadn't done it to hurt him.

Yami moved to hold Yuugi at arm's length and looked him in the eyes. "Yuugi, it's alright. I know you didn't mean any harm. Am I right? Because if I'm not, then I may actually have to be upset," Yami commented, smiling at his aibou.

Yuugi smiled and wiped his eyes while nodding.

"I thought so. Now, what should we do? Sit here all night?" Yami asked.

Yuugi laughed a little bit and then sat back and looked around. "How long have you been laying here, Yami?"

Yami shrugged and explained, "I had been wandering around and fell asleep at one point near a corner of the puzzle. I had a particularly disconcerting dream and when I woke up, I had fallen down here. I must have been running in my sleep, and upon falling, I found that I was too tired to get up and figured that I would just stay here and think."

Yuugi stared at Yami and asked, "What was your dream about?"

The spirit sighed heavily and stood up, holding out his hand to help Yuugi. "Nothing important. It's a dream that's been haunting me for a while now, in some form or another…" Yami said.

Yuugi nodded and walked next to the spirit quietly, thinking about what he had said. He didn't believe that it was unimportant. It had jolted Yami enough to run, even while asleep. Whatever it was that he was dreaming of must have been quite bad.

"I wish there was something I could do," Yuugi said quietly. "You shouldn't have to deal with that alone."

"I'm sure it'll pass in time," Yami said without pause. "Until then, I'll just be sleepier than usual, kind of like you in your math classes."

"Hey!" Yuugi protested. He smiled but he was also thinking of ways that he could help the spirit. At that point, he remembered Jou's words from earlier. Perhaps Yami would enjoy seeing the snow.

"I have an idea Yami!" Yuugi announced, smiling up at Yami while he walked. Yami gave a small smile in response and reached his arm out to steer Yuugi away from the wall that he had almost run into. Yuugi blushed in embarrassment over what he had nearly done.

"What's your idea, Yuugi?" The spirit questioned.

"Let's go outside! Have you ever seen snow? I bet you haven't! Come see the snow! We can call Jou and have a snowball fight! I bet you'd get him real good!" Yuugi probably would have kept talking a mile a minute if Yami hadn't burst out laughing at the boy. Yuugi grinned, hoping that this really would cheer his friend.

"What in the world would I want to 'get Jou real good' for?" Yami asked, still trying to picture how this could be done with all the fluffy stuff outside.

"Because it's hilarious! We all did it to Anzu this morning! You should've seen her after I got her in the face! I think I channeled you somehow…" Yuugi commented while seriously wondering if it were possible that he could channel the spirit's skills.

By now, the two had reached Yami's door. Yuugi pulled it open enthusiastically and after a moment, Yuugi was sitting up in his bed with Yami hovering nearby. Yuugi started to grab his gloves, but he paused. "Wait, this isn't right."

Yami looked worried for a second until Yuugi smiled. "What's not right, aibou?"

"You take control! You should do this! Getting ready is an essential part of a snow adventure!"

Yami found himself in control and looked towards where Yuugi was grinning madly. Personally, he thought Yuugi was enjoying himself far too much. Nevertheless, Yami pulled on gloves and a hat, as well as the only dry jacket that Yuugi had – a thin jacket that would probably get soaked just as quickly. Yuugi reminded him that the point wasn't to stay dry though – it was to have fun!

Before leaving, Yuugi told Yami to call Jou. "Tell him to meet us at the park in thirty minutes!" Yuugi commanded excitedly. If all wars were fought with snow, Yuugi would have made an excellent general, Yami thought.

Rolling his eyes slightly, Yami dialed Jou. While the phone was dialing, he could see Yuugi's form bouncing with excitement in front of the window.

"Yo Yuugi, what's up?" Jou asked.

"Hello Jou. Would you like to…" Yami paused. To Yuugi, he asked "What's it called, Yuugi?"

"A SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!" The small boy shouted happily.

"Ah…" To Jou, he said, "Would you like to have a snowball fight?"

"Would I?! Of course! Do you want me to get anyone else?" Jou asked, sounding almost as excited as Yuugi looked.

Yami glanced at Yuugi who nodded. "Sure, call everyone!" Shortly thereafter, they hung up and Yami wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Yuugi then said, "Okay now we have to go to the park!"

"But Yuugi, we still have thirty minutes."

"I know, but you need to be taught the proper way to throw a snowball!" Yuugi explained patiently. Yuugi's form meandered down the stairs and Yami followed. When they approached the door, Yami pulled on the knob and let in the cold air. Stepping after Yuugi, he pulled the door close and turned to face the outdoors.

Suddenly, something cold and wet landed on his cheek. Before he could properly react, another hit his nose. Then his left eye! What in the world was this stuff? Yami looked down and found that he was standing in it. Hesitantly, he moved it around with his boot. It piled up around his boot the sand way that sand did.

Yuugi was watching him quietly. He didn't want to interrupt the spirit. Besides that, it was great to see the confident king of games looking so unsure about something as simple as snow.

Yami bent down and grabbed a handful of the snow on the ground. Unlike sand, it didn't flow out through cracks between his fingers. It pretty much stayed put. He opened his hand entirely and found that the snow had stuck to itself in the same shape as his hand. His eyes widened slightly – this was incredible!

He smiled and dropped the bit of snow that he had grabbed and looked at Yuugi. Yuugi grinned back; he couldn't think of a time when Yami had ever looked so amazed and happy. Quietly, he suggested that they should head to the park.

Yami walked in the direction of the park, taking in the sights and sounds around him. When snow fell, he observed, everything seemed brighter and quieter. The only thing he could hear was the crunching of the snow under his boots. The hum of the city wasn't even audible anymore! Besides that, he found that he could see so much better than he normally could. Nearing 8 o'clock, everything would be dark and the only light would come from streetlights. Now, that light bounced off the snow and danced everywhere!

Yami turned slightly to see his aibou trying to catch snowflakes in his mouth, even though both of them knew that as a spirit, the flakes would merely float through him. "Thank you very much, Yuugi," Yami said honestly.

Yuugi started and looked towards him happily. "Isn't this great? I'm so happy that you enjoy it! I just wish that I hadn't been such a jerk earlier so that you could've seen it this morning."

A regretful look crossed over Yuugi's face before the boy smiled again and resumed his fruitless task of catching snowflakes.

"You know, I think I'm even more grateful to experience it like this than in the morning when you would have been in such a rush. It almost looks magical now that the daylight is gone," Yami commented.

"If you think this is great, you should see it when it's stopped snowing and only slightly frozen. It sparkles and shines on the ground, kind of like thin frost on pavement. Or like glitter!" Yuugi said, still trying to catch snowflakes.

Yami thought about that – he'd seen sand glitter. He'd also seen dew on the grass that seemed to glitter. He supposed that snow could glitter. Besides, his aibou hadn't lied to him yet.

"Hey we're here!" Yuugi exclaimed. Yami glanced about and was surprised to notice how much he'd been thinking about the snow – he hadn't even realized that they were near the park.

"Go over there! Near that tree! We'll hide there and wait for Jou!" Yuugi instructed.

Yami shook his head and smiled, but trudged through the deepening snow to the indicated tree. While they had been walking, the snow had begun to come down even faster. It wouldn't be long until they'd be completely buried, Yami thought to himself.

He took his place behind the tree and then turned towards Yuugi. "How will Jou know where to meet us if we're hiding?"

"Oh, he always comes by this way. Don't worry about that. What we need to worry about is ammo!" Yuugi explained, an almost sinister smile appearing on his face. Yami began to worry, yet again, that his aibou enjoyed this game too much.

"Ammo?" Yami questioned.

"Yeah – grab the snow and form it into balls. Yes, like that!" Yuugi said encouragingly as Yami attempted to make a snowball. When he finished it he set it down and then looked up at Yuugi again.

"Then what?"

"Now make a thousand of them!" Yuugi exclaimed. Yami's eyes widened and he looked around at the snow on the ground.

"Yuugi, I don't think there's enough snow for that many snowballs…" Yami said.

"Okay then make a lot! But we have to hurry – Jou will be here soon. And we have no idea who else he brought along!" Yuugi then proceeded to supervise Yami's snowball production for about ten minutes. When they had a decent-sized pile going, Yuugi whispered that 'it was time.'

Yami hid behind the tree and whispered to Yuugi, "What do I do now?"

"Wait until they're in throwing distance and then throw the snowballs at them until they surrender!" Yuugi whispered excitedly.

Yami glanced around the tree trunk and saw Jou, Honda, and Anzu walking through the woods about fifty feet from him. They were glancing about nervously, obviously unaware of his position. He waited quietly until they were only twenty feet from him before he turned and grabbed a snowball.

Making a quick decision, he hurled it at Jou. The small ball of snow hardly made a noise as it impacted with Jou's hat, knocking it clean off his head. Yami laughed out loud, thus giving away his position, and had to back behind the tree as three snowballs were sent flying in his direction. After three had hit the tree trunk, he grabbed two snowballs and hurled them towards the other teens.

Hearing a shriek and then something that sounded like an angry growl, Yami worriedly looked at Yuugi who was doubled over laughing. "What happened, Yuugi?" Yami questioned anxiously. He didn't want to turn and look due to the barrage that was flying in his direction.

Yuugi continued to laugh but explained that Yami had just hit Anzu in the face with his last snowball. Yami paled – he wasn't too worried that the snowball had hurt her – instead, he worried about what she would do to him. Yuugi had said that he'd also hit Anzu in the face this morning! Now, she would really be out for revenge!

"What are you waiting for?! Shoot, shoot!" Yuugi commanded while laughing.

Yami fired off as many of the snowballs as he could before he heard Yuugi shout to look out. Before he could turn, he felt hands grabbing his arms and pushing him into the snow at his feet. Within seconds, all the snowballs that were at his feet were stuff down the neck of his jacket. He hadn't felt this cold in a long time!

Yuugi was laughing uproariously from somewhere on his right. He heard himself laughing as well and reached around himself to try and grab some snow to fling in his attackers' faces. Almost all at once, the other teens fell backwards laughing in the snow.

Yami slowly picked himself up from the small mountain of snow that the others had pushed him into. He laughed and said, "That was ridiculous. Fun and exciting, but ridiculous." The other just laughed and nodded.

"Let's make a snowman!" Anzu suggested. She jumped to her feet and ran over to an area that had more snow. The others followed and Yami looked curiously at Yuugi. Yuugi laughed and motioned for him to follow.

They spent the next twenty minutes trying to form a man out of snow – Yami was thoroughly confused by the fact that the "man" consisted of three giant snowballs with rocks for facial features. Never before had he seen a person that even remotely resembled what they were creating. Everyone stood around the finished product and admired it for a moment. The stick arms did remind Yami of someone – Seto Kaiba. The arms were arranged in such a manner that either made the snowman look welcoming, like a friend, or insane, like a Kaiba.

He commented on his thoughts and set Jou on a ten-minute rant about the young CEO. Yami vaguely wondered if the elder Kaiba had ever had this much fun in the snow.

Before long, Anzu announced that it was nearing ten o'clock and that they should all get home soon. The group bade farewell to each other and began walking home. Yami walked with a smile for a moment, enjoying the night. Before long though, the cold of being thoroughly soaked and with bits of snow still captured within his jacket began to chill him. Before Yuugi and he had even left the park, he was shivering violently.

Yuugi looked at him and asked, "Do you want me to take over? You look pretty cold."

Yami shook his head and said, "No, I'm f-fine." Despite the joy of experiencing snow and the marvel of getting to walk in it again, he longed to slip into a warm bed and just sleep for hours. It seemed like it had been weeks since he last slept for longer than an hour.

"That was so much fun! It's too bad we can't have a proper snowball fight together. That would be great!" Yuugi said, imagining the possibilities.

Yami shivered in response and slowed down a bit. Now that his clothes were heavy with melted snow, it was harder to walk. After what seemed like such a short, pleasant walk before the snowball fight, they finally arrived at the Game Shop. Yami gripped the door handle and tried to turn it. It didn't turn.

He pulled on it for a moment and then realized that it was locked. "Yuugi, where is the key?" He asked, interrupting the boy's quest to catch snowflakes yet again.

Yuugi paused and looked at him questioningly. "Umm…. You don't have it?"

Yami reached into every pocket that he had – four on the jacket, two on his jeans, and another on his shirt. He still didn't find the key, however. Yami looked back at Yuugi, silently asking him what to do.

"I don't know…" Yuugi said quietly. "Grandpa left last week and won't be back until the day after tomorrow. I forget where the spare key is."

Officially too tired and cold to think about it, Yami sat down in front of the door and leaned against it. He noticed that he didn't feel quite as cold as he had a few minutes ago. It must just take a while to get used to the cold of snow, he thought. Closing his eyes, he tried to think about some other way that they could get into the Game Shop.

They could break the door down. Neither of them really wanted to go that far though. Maybe they could just break a window? No… that… Yami thought for a minute. He couldn't think about why that would be a bad idea. What if they called someone? But the phone… Yami tried to think about the phone. All he could picture in his mind was snow. The snow that glittered while falling would be beautiful to see. But it can't glitter and snow, can it? Yami didn't know for sure. He felt that truly, it didn't matter, as long as it glittered at some point.

Yami could vaguely hear his name being called. If that was Yuugi, then he could wait – Yami was far too comfortable to want to move just yet. The sounds kept him awake, however, and away from the pleasant dreams of snow. Another sound joined with the first – this one sounding much less friendly. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't place a name with whoever it was.

Suddenly, something struck him. It felt like someone had hit him, but he could hardly even feel it. More and more, he began to feel the sting that accompanied the repeated smacks. He cracked open an eye just in time to witness a very blurry person standing above him. Yami was confused – when had he closed his eyes? Who was this person? He felt so tired that the need to close his eyes and go to sleep was greater than ever. He remembered being so cold from the snowball fight. He hadn't made it inside yet – that meant he was still outside. Somehow, he came to register that falling asleep would be a terrible mistake.

Sleep seemed so much easier to avoid when he was a spirit. Even despite the weeks with minimal amounts of sleep, he had been able to stay awake and coherent for much of the time. He tried as hard as he could to open his eyes. His eyelids felt as if they were made of lead, and the effort needed to open them was tiring him even further, making sleep seem even more desirable.

Recognizing it as being futile, but not wanting to give up, he attempted to focus on the cold that he knew surrounded him. He figured that if he could only feel the cold, then he might not be able to sleep. The cold wasn't on his side, however, and he soon felt his mind and thoughts relaxing.

As he was fading in and out, he felt something wrap around him and lift him. Yami had no worried thoughts regarding this, for he suddenly felt as cold as he probably was, and the warmth that was wrapping around him was fantastic. He heard an echo of a familiar voice and then nothing.

Yuugi had been pacing in circles now for several hours. At a little after eleven o'clock the previous night, he had arrived here along with Yami, who was still in control of his body. Yuugi had tried to regain control several times, but it seemed that the exhaustion felt by the spirit was too great for him to exert even that much energy. He hadn't even woken up yet.

The small boy had been worried when they returned to the Game Shop only to discover that they had locked themselves out. He'd known that Yami was cold because of all the frolicking in the snow that had taken place at the park. He hadn't figured that Yami was so cold as to slip into unconsciousness, however.

Yami had sat down in front of the door and had closed his eyes. Yuugi figured that he was doing the same as he – thinking of some way to get in. Yuugi had finally come up with the perfect idea; they would climb up the side of the Game Shop on the back and go in through Yuugi's unlocked bedroom window. He called out to Yami to tell him but the other didn't move.

Worried that he had fallen asleep, Yuugi stepped closer to Yami and shouted for him to wake up. There was no response. Yuugi noticed that snow was sticking to Yami's jacket and hat, meaning that they were cold enough that the wet jacket wasn't melting the snow anymore. Yuugi had no idea what to do – as a spirit, he couldn't exactly shake Yami awake.

Yuugi tried to force control back to himself, but to no avail. Yami must have been thoroughly exhausted and frozen for him to be that out of it. Yuugi kept shouting for him to wake up, growing more and more concerned that with each passing minute, the chances that Yami would wake up lessened. He was still trying when headlights shown through him. He turned and spotted a vehicle coming towards them.

He jumped to signal to them, but sat back almost immediately. As a spirit, no one other than Yami would be able to see him. Tears crept into his eyes – this wasn't supposed to happen! He was actually crying when he heard his name being called.

"Yuugi!"

Yuugi looked up and spotted Seto Kaiba walking briskly towards him. He stood up, thoroughly shocked that Kaiba would even stop and that he could see him. Yuugi was about to greet him with relief when Kaiba walked right through him. Of course – Kaiba was referring to Yami when he said "Yuugi," the boy thought.

He hoped desperately that Kaiba would help them. Almost in answer to his prayers, Kaiba knelt near the sleeping Yami and called Yuugi's name again. He reached out and shook his shoulders and then smacked him in the face a couple of times until Yami cracked open a single eye. Yami appeared to struggle a bit more until Kaiba finally gave up.

He stood up and walked back to his limousine. Yuugi was just about ready to cry. "Don't leave! Please Kaiba!" He felt himself beginning to cry again and actually did cry when Kaiba began to walk back with his large coat that he normally wore. Yuugi was more than shocked and relieved that the young CEO that they all thought was heartless was helping him and Yami.

Kaiba wrapped Yami up in the coat and lifted him into his arms, carrying him back to the limousine. Yuugi followed anxiously, wishing that Kaiba would say something, even if it were to himself. Kaiba set Yami on one side on the limousine and he sat on the other. To the driver, he ordered, "Take me home, and make it quick. And turn on the heat."

Yuugi knelt on the floor next to Yami whose eyelids were fluttering ever so lightly. The ride to Kaiba's mansion was short, but Yuugi wanted nothing but for Yami to wake up. Upon arriving, Kaiba carried Yami into the mansion and through to a large room that was decorated in dark colors. Yuugi only noticed most of his surroundings after a few hours, since the second Kaiba arrived, he ordered several people to bring something to the room.

Warm electrical blankets were brought, as well as a doctor that checked on Yami every other hour. He would probably return shortly, Yuugi figured. He paused in his pacing – something that he had been doing since about two in the morning – and looked towards Yami. He still had no idea how bad off they were, since the doctor hadn't felt the need to announce his patient's status to his unconscious patient and a supposedly empty room.

Yami was beginning to stir awake. Yuugi rushed over and knelt beside him, waiting for him to open his eyes and wake up more fully. Yami groaned and turned his head toward Yuugi, slowly opening his eyes. "What… Yuugi?" The mumbled words were barely recognizable, but Yuugi took the liberty to explain the situation as best as he knew.

He told Yami of how he'd fallen asleep and not woken up. When he arrived at the part where Kaiba had come to help them, Yami blanched and audibly doubted Yuugi's sanity. This was quickly remedied when Yuugi told him to look at the room and the bed that he was currently in.

"My chest feels so heavy…" Yami said, coughing. "Yuugi, I'm sorry – you won't be able to go to school for a while with this…"

Yuugi just laughed. "Like I want to go to school anyways! I'm just glad that you're okay. I was so worried that you wouldn't wake up… I can't believe how lucky we were that Kaiba happened to drive by and was in a good mood," Yuugi stated honestly.

Yami nodded his head, not wanting to talk because every time he did, he coughed. He felt both warm and cold at the same time and wasn't sure quite what to do about it. He figured that it would be easiest to just go back to sleep, if only he didn't have such a headache.

"Yuugi, I want to thank you for everything last night. I know that it could have ended poorly, but I thoroughly enjoyed everything leading up to realizing that we forgot the key," Yami said.

"Unn…" Yuugi sounded, but still didn't look reassured.

"Besides, when else would we have had the opportunity to witness Kaiba being kind?" Yami said, jokingly. Indeed, the spirit owed a lot to the young CEO. If he had not stopped to help them, Yami probably would have frozen to death outside. It chilled him to think that such a simple thing could kill him and thus, Yuugi.

Yuugi smiled at his remark and looked up to gaze at something behind Yami. He turned in the bed to see the door opening and a strange man coming in, followed by Kaiba.

The man smiled warmly at him and commented, "Ah, you've finally awoken." Kaiba merely stood to the right of the bed and peered down without any expression on his face.

The doctor checked Yami's temperature and asked him a few questions which he barely managed to answer. It was finally determined that the patient had the flu. The doctor asked if he had any questions, to which he weakly shook his head, and then left.

Yami looked towards Kaiba wearily. The other boy had an interesting expression on his face. He almost appeared to be concerned.

"You can stay here until you're better, if you wish. Or, I can arrange to have you brought back to that Game Shop of yours," Kaiba told him.

Growing more and more tired, Yami just nodded his head. Kaiba seemed to roll his eyes before saying, "If you ever want something to eat, or anything else, you can use this remote." He tossed a sleek black remote onto the bed next to Yami's arm. "It will summon one of the servants who can get you anything you need."

Yami nodded and whispered, "Thank you, Kaiba."

Kaiba turned and left, and surprisingly enough, that was the last that Yuugi and Yami saw of him during their stay. Three days later, Yami still felt ill but decided to head back to the Game Shop since Yuugi's grandfather had been calling repeatedly about his grandson.

Upon arriving at the Game Shop, Yuugi took control for the first time since before going out to play in the snow with Yami. The spirit had insisted upon remaining so that Yuugi wouldn't have to deal with being sick, and Yuugi didn't have the heart to go against him. Either way, it was boring when Yami was asleep, although he did truly appreciate Yami's kindness.

His grandfather had hugged him and then immediately ushered him off to bed. Finally feeling what Yami had for several days now, he could understand why the spirit had been so keen to sleep all day. Even three days later, he felt horrible. Thankfully, it was the weekend and he would probably be well enough to go to school on Monday.

Recovering from an illness in the Game Shop was a lot more fun than at Kaiba's. The two boys talked about card games and many other things while in the soul rooms. When Yuugi finally did feel good enough to go for a short walk outside on Sunday afternoon, he was almost saddened.

"You're finally feeling better and yet, you seem sad. I don't get it," Yami commented while looking at the snow that had lingered from days before.

"I'm just thinking about how much fun playing in the snow was, and hanging out with you this weekend. We should do that more often – just you and me," Yuugi said.

"I'd like that," Yami replied. "Let's just remember to bring the key if we go anywhere again."

Yuugi laughed and then stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Yami asked, confused.

Yuugi began searching his pockets and then burst out laughing. "You'll never believe what I did just now…"

Yami chuckled and said, "Well, let's head back. Maybe your grandpa is still home and will let us in." They laughed and walked back to the Game Shop.

Yami smiled at his aibou. The last week had been quite an adventure, albeit bits dangerous after the snowball fight. Surprisingly enough, however, both of them seemed thankful for the time to just be together and hang out. Without classes or other friends stopping by constantly, the two of them were able to talk and Yami finally felt more at ease than he had in weeks.

He no longer felt unsure about whether he was needed or even wanted. Instead, he knew he was loved. Neither Yuugi nor Yami would ever admit it, but the two loved each other as if they were brothers. Yami actually scoffed at himself for doubting the fact that Yuugi appreciated his company just as much as the spirit appreciated the energetic boy's company. He was at home with Yuugi, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Those foolish dreams and ideas that he had had could bugger off for all the care he was willing to exert upon them now. Yami was free of it, and Yuugi would always be there to help him realize that if he forgot. Of that, he was certain.

*****

The End.

Thanks for reading - please leave a review if you'd like. I would appreciate any comments, good or bad, about the story. Again, thank you! :)


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